The overalls still fit and, crucially, they still very much suit Emil Lindholm. He’s back with Škoda and chasing a second WRC2 title.
Hyundai’s fading and now non-existent commitment to a WRC2 program looked to threaten the 28-year-old Finn’s participation at world level. But his relationship with the Czech manufacturer and German-based Toksport team was strong enough to secure a return to a Fabia RS Rally2.
Lindholm won the 2022 WRC2 title with them and is looking forward to being back in green again.
“Obviously I have good memories from ’22,” he told DirtFish. “So it was quite the obvious choice for me. We start our program from Canaries, we will skip Portugal, but then do Sardinia, Greece, Estonia and Finland. When we come to the summer, we will have a look at where we are with the points and in the championship and make a decision about our last two [scoring] rounds then.
“I’m looking forward to it. We know the car’s good and there’s some work [done] since I last drove it. I’m excited.”
It’s fair to say Lindholm’s mid-season switch from Škoda in 2023 caught many off guard as he chased the potential of a step up to Rally1 with Hyundai.
“We did quite some miles testing the i20 Rally1 car,” he said. “Last March we were doing roll outs and shakedowns, this kind of thing. I got a lot of experience then and this is something I am really grateful for. The goal was to drive the Rally1 car and we did that, but for this year, obviously we wanted to continue in the world championship, in WRC2 preferably, and with Hyundai we didn’t really, let’s say, find a solution which would have worked for both.”
Understanding that the previous champion is back with his title-winning team, the next questions are more obvious: can he beat Oliver Solberg, can the Škoda be faster than a Toyota and can he wear the crown once more?
So, Solberg?
Lindholm is confident he and the car can be a title-winning combination
“I think yes,” said Lindholm. “If I didn’t believe this then we’d have given up already. So definitely we’re going there with one target in mind. I think if everything goes to plan we can do it and surely we are working hard on making sure that we are prepared and ready for the battle. But yeah, it won’t be easy, that’s clear. And it’s not only Oliver [Solberg], it’s also many other drivers in the series who can win.”
And the Fabia’s a Yaris-beater?
“There are many, many cars that can be on top in rallies. But yeah, sure, Škoda is also right there, they’ve developed the car. It’s been shown last year as well with Oliver [driving a Fabia] that the pace is good from the car. I totally believe we can fight for it.”
